Late last year, I was tagged in a blogging meme by my online friend and TeachMeetINL mentor @arjana. She was one educator I did not get to meet face to face on my trip because between us we could not align our stars. But Arjana next time it will happen. Either you come to me or I come to you. I also liked the way she gave me feedback via twitter on my blogging meme.

I have been procrastinating writing and have been doing everything else to avoid updating my reflections. Her tweet was the jumpstart I required.

So I completed the set task and it took me three days to craft as I was away with a mini ipad to write with. I created a draft using notes and played with the idea in between swimming, sleeping and snorkelling.

As soon as I returned to my chrome, I added links and finalised my first post for 2014.

But I still cannot figure why because I posted the entry on our New Years day yet it states that the post happened on New Year’s eve.

11 has been a re-ocurring number for me in 2013 so I laughed at the unusual number. I had spent 11 weeks on a TeachNZ sabbatical and when I trawled a collaborative initiative that was part of my sabbatical output for last year, I identified 11 bloggers who had reflected on their contribution to the TeachMeetNZ project. I did not find it easy nominating virtual friends as who do I chose because I already read so many interesting blogs. For my part, I deviated from Arjana and focussed on New Zealand educators only and from that chose the ones who had reflected on TeachMeetNZ. I have been following the hashtag #bloggingmeme with interest and was excited to read @helenoftroy01 contribution by creating a Blogging Meme Doc to track the blog entries and to avoid a double up or more of being tagged. My initial chart using inspiration pales in comparison.

Those of you who read this and are New Zealand educators, what Helen has also done nicely for me is identify some of you who I will be shoulder tapping for our next TeachMeetNZ virtual session. So be ready. You will end up with a digital badge for your portfolio and a cut 3 minute video to embed on your site.

The Blogging Meme Doc has also been a motivation for me to comment on blogs that people have written. In some ways I do feel responsible for setting the beast loose on the New Zealand tweachers. I am one of those lurkers who have been reading but not commenting as much as I could be.

If you are tagged in twitter, I would like to read about you and may I suggest being like @MFaaeaSemeatu and used her Blogging Meme as a motivation to encourage new bloggers to get started. I also liked the way Manu used google+ so combined two social medias to spread her meme. She tagged her nominated bloggers via google+ and also via twitter.

Anne spread her #magic and responded so fast with her Blogging Meme post like within the same day. From my other nominated bloggers I have 4 who have completed the task after a few days and I will be honest and say ‘Great job’ as it took me all week from when I was tagged.

I have watched @1MvdS in her patient, gentle, persuasive way gently coaxing her Blogging Meme group into writing by giving regular updates on who had completed the task and come on the rest of you.

I enjoyed reading @MsBeenz entry and learning a little more about her and have @Allanahk remind us that this is not the first round that we have had something like this happen.

So no great pressure @hanna_fale@SwanwickC @digitallearnin @phpnz @EmmaWinder25 @emmerw@nzteachnology@hunch_box . We are supposed to be on holiday. I like the way some of you have literally disappeared from twitter but I know it will not be for long.

Anyone else reading this, if you want me to come and read your post and practice giving a comment, do tag me.

I stumbed on this via @FabMomBlog twitter and have made 31 my new challenge number. Don’t worry I will not be tagging anyone to join me but it you want to do let me know. In March 2014 my goal is to write daily. Like Manu, I will tag you to come and give me feedback.

My learning from all this: the 4x C’s

As my SOLOtaxonomy mentors @arti_choke and @ginnynz01 regularly remind me, reflect on the process and don’t just celebrate the product.

Stop procrastinating and just get on with the task. I have made better connections with New Zealand educators because part of the meme asks for 11 facts about you.

Something as simple as this can generate collaboration like the Blogging Meme doc.

We can use other social media in the task and not just twitter to celebrate the product.

What meme could I create to encourage blogging? What ideas do you have?

How to embed a tweet? Thanks to @SchuKnight who willingly shared this little gem.

How to change the date on blogger to reflect current time? Thanks to @annekenn for this other little gem.

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7 thoughts on “The Magic of 11.”

Hi +Mark Buckland. Great to see you having a go at the blogging meme. It is a great way to begin writing again. I read some blogs and am getting better at leaving comments. So I guess commenting too is a form of writing. I have read your post and am enjoying seeing how the meme has motivated so many of us. All the best.

Hi Sonya.I must admit that I was worried when Marnel tagged me for the meme – I had tried blogging a couple of years ago, but never really got into it. However, I decided to take the approach you mention above – stop thinking about doing it and do it. Once I started, I found it difficult to stop. I am by nature very introverted, and do not like sharing much about my self, and I sometimes feel like my shyness comes across as rudeness or arrogance. I am going to try reading more this year, online and 'real books'. A natural progression would be to comment on the blogs that I read, so hopefully I'll be able to share more this year than I have before. A friend of mine in Japan often said “Let's challenge!” so this is what I am taking forward from this experience. Thank you for the inspiration and motivation. Cheers. Mark.

Hi +Pascale Hyboud-Peron Thank you for the feedback. I am getting better at responding to feedback. Like you it took me a while to craft my writing. I enjoy tracking how the idea has grown in New Zealand and because I stopped thinking about doing it and just doing it. I am inclined to prefer coding and creating systems to reflecting. I look forward to continue following your work this year. All the best Pascale. Maybe a French session of TeachMeetNZ for teachers of the French language? I will be running a Samoan one as soon as I can 'tag' enough people and I am nearly there.

Hi SonyaThis post makes great reading. And so do the blogmeme posts by Anne, Claire, and others that I have read and enjoyed. But I have not responded to your tag and it is not because I have been busy/on holiday/taking a break from the device etc It is because I can't do it. As in I can't write 11 things about myself and I can't tag 11 people! 🙂 I insert this smiley here but it is merely to indicate this blockage runs deep. I admire your ability to clearly be able to identify a long list of things about you and then publish it, and was happy to learn more about you through what you volunteered. I am unable to reciprocate. Let's say for now… I might get over the fear to look inwards and back, if so I may email you my meme!Having said all this that is already a couple of things about me LOLI blog (intermittently) about experiences/ideas/ encounters. I have to picture an “audience” (hence my co-blogging with Ruth last year) I also have to dig very deep as I am not naturally synthetic nor reflective. About creating another meme: keep to the idea of getting people blogging about what they would not necessarily.Thank you for reading Sonya.

Hi Anne and Claire and thanks for your comments. I love getting feedback and like you both I have enjoyed this task because as it has allowed me to learn more about my PLN. I look forward to seeing more of what you both write.

Sonya, I was honoured that you tagged me and loved your comment on my own meme post. What I am loving more than anything at the moment, however is how projects such as this are bringing our kiwi virtual staffroom tighter together. I feel like I am getting to know this wonderfully supportive PLN and feel that I can jump in on so many more conversations. That's one mean feat for a rather shy introvert! Thank you for tagging me! 🙂

Hi Sonya,What a fabulous reflection on the meme! I just loved being a part of it and am avidly following the blog posts coming out of it! I have learnt so much more about so many people!I am very keen to join you in the blogging challenge! I have been reflecting lately about how little I read and blog when I am busy… surely it should be exactly the opposite – the busier I am the more I have to reflect on and write about!So, one of my many resolutions is to read more, blog more, write more, share more….Thanks again Sonya!Anne K

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Talofa lava, Kia Ora. My name is Sonya Van Schaijik . I am a teacher at Newmarket School in Auckland New Zealand. I am a mother of two grown sons and the caregiver of my parents in their winter years of life.

Recently I helped set up a curated blog site for New Zealand educators to share their learning. You can check that out here. www.edblognz.blogspot.com. Together with Nathaniel and Alex we monitor and maintain the site.